Philippine online gambling licensees won’t be capped at 50

The Philippines’ gaming regulator has added more names to its list of approved online gambling operators, ensuring that its previously suggested cap of 50 licensees no longer applies.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation(PAGCOR) updated its official list of Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator (POGO) licensees, which the regulator began issuing in September 2016 in a bid to exert tighter control over the country’s burgeoning online gambling industry.

As of June, PAGCOR said it had issued 42 POGO licenses, but theupdated listshows a total of 51 licenses issued as of October 30. PAGCOR had previously suggested that it could cap the number of available POGO licenses at 50 until it had time to assess whether newer licensees were cannibalizing older licensees’ revenue.

The latest licensees feature at least one former licensee of the First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp, which had been the Philippines’ primary online licensing body until the POGO program arrived. In August, First Cagayan revealed that nearly half of its licensees had defected to the POGO camp.

PAGCOR’s latest POGO update lists 51 licensees but the last license issued bears the number 17-053, while 17-051 and 17-052 don’t appear. It’s unclear whether this means these licenses were issued and then revoked, or whether the numbers were assigned in advance and vetting their applications is simply taking longer than usual.

PAGCOR recently released its year-to-date financial report card, which showed gaming revenue rising 11.1% to P42.4b (US $826m) in the nine months ending September 30, easily exceeding its revenue target of P34b, while net income rose more than one-third to P4.36b. Revenue in the third quarter was up a more modest 0.8% to P14.1b.

PAGCOR’s Q3 report lists just over P2b ($40m) in YTD revenue from its POGO program, nearly twice the P1.1b the segment reported in PAGCOR’s Q2 results. PAGCOR has previously stated that it hopes to reap an annual $120m from its POGO licensees by the time the program is fully up to speed.

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Enteractive launches (Re)Activation Cloud™ platform for Japan

Enteractive, the leader in player reactivation and retention, has launched the company’s (Re)Activation Cloud plug-and-play solution in Japan, marking a first step into the burgeoning Asian market. Brands will benefit from Enteractive’s personalised approach to player engagement, which is so culturally important in regions like Japan, where great customer service is rewarded with brand loyalty, while failures can be treated more unforgivingly.

As the Japanese iGaming sector enters maturity, both local and Western operators are seizing opportunities to enter the market, and Enteractive’s unique approach to customer relationship management brings a new cultural relevance to player reactivation and retention – the (Re)Activation Cloud is driven by human interaction and personalised conversations on behalf of a brand, bringing empathy and a human touch to standard automated services.

“Following months of preparation, our Japan team is up and running with native language customer engagement and a deep understanding of local cultural narratives,” commented country manager, Alex Nilsson. “Japan is different to any other market in which we operate, so we’re extremely proud of the way our diverse talent pool has quickly surmounted any challenges to such a defined local approach.”

While boosting operators’ P&L through personalised activation and reactivation of dormant or lapsed player accounts, each team at Enteractive is trained with responsible gambling measures at its core. Alongside a roster of impressive language expertise, it’s crucial for teams to understand local social and economic attitudes when it comes to online gambling.

Mikael Hansson, Enteractive founder and CEO, said: “We’re incredibly excited to launch in this new and fast-growing market. Japan offers so many opportunities for iGaming operators in 2020 and beyond, and now Enteractive is there to help them navigate uncharted waters with their most important assets – the players.

“Caring for our clients’ players is baked into our DNA at Enteractive, so our courteous approach is ideally suited for Japan’s cultural landscape. I believe this could become one of our biggest markets in terms of sales and net revenue within a couple of years.”

Although Japan is a new foray for the Malta-based brand, Enteractive is well established in European markets, with clients such as Betsson, GiG, and Kindred enjoying increased conversion and retention through the company’s (Re)Activation Cloud platform, delivering Retention-as-a-Service expertise and boosting player deposits and engagement.

Both GDPR and G4 compliant, with bespoke systems built for operator compliance and player protection, Enteractive has a reputation for exceeding client expectations and delivering increased revenue results through low risk performance-based models.

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Joycasino is the Most Entertaining Casino in Japan

During the 2019 UNLV International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, several gambling experts expressed concerns about Japan and its lack of responsible gambling safeguards. Since then, the country has been working on regulations to eliminate problem gambling.

Fortunately, companies have been at the forefront of fighting this menace. For example Joycasino is very popular in Japan. Unlike other gambling companies, they strive to promote responsible gaming as part of their social responsibility. This isn’t the only perk that makes the company attractive to the Japanese gaming community. It has a lot of offers that make its platform not only the most entertaining one but also customer friendly.

Here is why it is considered the best and most entertaining casino in Japan

An Enticing Welcoming Bonus

Many online casinos offer welcome bonuses, but there aren’t many that have offers that match those of JoyCasino. Upon signing up, players can enjoy 200 free spins on one of the best games around- Starburst slot by NetEnt. On top of that, players can enjoy a variety of welcome bonuses:

100% up to €2,000

200% up to €50

150% up to €300

While your second deposit can earn you a bonus of 100% of up to €300, the third one will earn you a bonus of 50% up to €400. In total, the company lives up to its name by promising a welcoming bonus of 200 free spins and 2000 euros.

Unmatched Promo Offers

On top of its bonuses, JoyCasino also has some exciting promotional offers. For instance, its cashback bonus ensures that players can get back 10% of their monthly losses on the 1st of every month. They also host weekly contests. Players stand a chance to win Samsung Mobiles and drones if they emerge as winners in these contests.

Lastly, it hosts space-themed tournaments for its users that run from Friday through Sunday. The space-themed slot machines allow players to climb up the ladder and win cash prizes as they play. They have also been known to add jackpot wins on games like Power Force. Another notable tournament is the Zombie Tournament. Anyone in Japan searching for a casino offering the most worth for their money should certainly try JoyCasino.

Play Plenty of Slot Games

The casino offers more than 200 video slot games, with a range of 3-reel classics. Spinners can enjoy games from a variety of software providers such as NetEnt, NextGen and Microgaming. There is a game for everyone with a wide range of designs and themes. Want to try generic games? JoyCasino offers titles like Aztec, Enchanted Woods, and Mermaid’s Millions, meaning that players do not have to play something far from their comfort zones.

For anyone looking to walk the fancy path, titles like Space Corsairs, Alaxe in Zombieland and Hell’s Grannies will do the trick. Anyone hunting for Jackpots can enjoy progressive offers by NetEnt and Microgaming through games like Mega Fortune and Fruit Fiesta 3-reel.

Virtual and Live Casino Games

The casino also looks out for players who would rather do something else other than spinning on the reels. They offer a chance for players to spin the roulette wheels. If a player fancies virtual card games such as baccarat, blackjack and pontoon, they can also play these on the casino’s platform. For anyone itching for live casino games, the fact that the company offers “live dealer” games that feature trained croupiers can be refreshing.

Players Can Embrace Portable Gaming

Not everyone has the time to be seated in front of a computer screen, or visit physical casinos. However, almost everyone has periods of downtime during their day that they would like to bring some fun into. As such, mobile casinos have been on the rise, and JoyCasino hasn’t been left behind when it comes to this trend.

The company offers a wide variety of slot machines and other games that players can access through their mobile-optimised website. The site supports a diversity of smartphones and tablets, including those running on Android, Windows, and iOS. They are also constantly adding more new games into their library to ensure that players are ever entertained.

Reliable Customer Support

It can be frustrating to try and reach customer support with any issues concerning gameplay. In case a problem arises, players can also rely on the customer support team to come to the rescue. They have diverse support staff who can communicate in a variety of languages, including English, Russian and Japanese. The best way to contact customer is through the live-chat on the casino website.

Japanese players need a gaming company that not only provides an entertaining gaming experience alongside diverse incentives, but also caters to their best interest. This makes JoyCasino an excellent option. The company is expected to keep optimising their gaming experience with time.

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Marketing firm HOGO has signed a formal partnership with the Japanese casino-focused media platform Resocasi.com (リゾカジ.com). The agreement will see HOGO representing media sales for the firm, as well as working on the development of the platform’s iGaming affiliate network with plans to expand globally.

Resocasi.com is Japan’s largest-trafficked website focused on casino and integrated resort content. The site targets Japanese users and sees nearly 250,000 monthly page views across the platform. The website also includes membership of over 32,000 customers who are interested in learning about the best global casino offerings.

Resocasi.com is entirely focused on Japanese content and includes casino reports from throughout the world, a forum where Japanese users can discuss their experiences, offers and more, as well as daily news from the global gaming industry relevant to players. Visitors can also utilize the site’s world casino hotel guide.

HOGO and Resocasi.com have announced the development of a new platform within the site, focused on iGaming and affiliate related content for platforms that offer services in Japanese. The new section, launching July 2020, will focus on iGaming sites with reviews, offers and more.

Chris Wieners, Managing Partner of HOGO, stated: “We are extremely excited to have signed our formal agreement with Resocasi.com and the team. HOGO has a long-standing relationship with the group and we believe that we will be able to add great value to the current offerings. As COVID19 continues to impact overseas travel and gaming at large, we are hoping to help develop successful iGaming content that will allow legitimate and premium operators to connect with Japanese speaking players.”

Nobuhiro Imigi, Operation Director for Resocasi.com, stated: “We are very happy to have HOGO on board as a formal partner for Resocasi.com. Their expertise in the gaming industry as well as media knowledge will help us to expand the Resocasi.com brand across the industry. Our aim is to develop ourselves as a household name for Japanese speakers everywhere, and contribute to the development of Japanese player-bases for casinos around the world.“

European Gaming Media and Events is a leading media and boutique event organizer in the European Union with a monthly reach of +50,000 readers. The official company (PROSHIRT SRL), has been listed for 4 years in a row among the top 3 Advertising and market research agencies in the local Top Business Romania Microcompanies based on the Financial Reports.